New Class of Palestinians Get Rich On Gaza Tunnel Trade
The lucrative trade in contraband through Gaza's tunnel network has produced a new class of wealthy Palestinians, writes Omar Shaban.
One of the challenges for reconciliation between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA) is to reaccommodate 55,000 PA employees — who had been asked to refuse to work with the Hamas government — in the Gaza Strip. Another important challenge is how to assimilate hundreds of newly rich Palestinians who have amassed vast fortunes from illegal trade as well as legal economic activities, and re-incorporate hundreds who had halted economic activity because of the blockade.
The tunnels are not new
According to the Israeli Ministry of Defense, the tunnels located beneath the Gaza-Sinai border have existed since the mid-eighties. There were only a few, primitive tunnels when they first appeared, used to smuggle contraband such as weapons, drugs and individuals banned from accessing legal crossings.
Tunnels became a central and effective phenomenon since the imposition of the Israeli blockade on Gaza in June 2007 following the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip. Their numbers swelled to 1,200, extending beneath a strip of the border 12 kilometers [7.5 miles] long and 700 meters [765 yards] wide. The function of these tunnels has changed as well. They have became a key source for the entry of thousands of vital goods, and an important source of revenue for the Hamas government in Gaza.
